The Perfect Gift
by TheManWithBacon
Summary: It's winter in Nippon, and Alex is having feelings of nostalgia for the Christmas season of the world he left behind. But when Ammy decides to help him celebrate this holiday of his, Alex finds himself wondering what the best gift would be for the Goddess of the Sun. Enlisting Issun's help, Alex goes on a short journey to find the perfect gift for the perfect woman.


**Well...it's past Christmas now, but I figured this was too good to let it pass by. Hello, everyone, and welcome to the Christmas oneshot that I said I would be getting up a lot earlier. Believe it or not (I hardly believed it myself), I actually forgot to factor in the amount of time I would be spending with all of the loot I had gotten for Christmas, and I ended up losing track of time for a short while. Fortunately, it's still somewhat close to the Christmas season, with New Year's having just come and gone, so I imagine that this isn't TOO late, at least.  
**

**So enjoy, and I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!**

* * *

**The Perfect Gift**

_An Okami Christmas Oneshot_

It was wintertime in Nippon, as the recent turn in weather had obviously shown. What had once been clear blue skies and rolling hills of green grass had turned into a heavy cover of grey clouds, falling snowflakes, and a solid white blanket of the white stuff as far as the eye could see. The temperature had also taken a nosedive, making the people of Kamiki Village retreat indoors as of late in order to build their fires and keep warm and toasty as they waited the winter season out.

In fact, the only people crazy enough to be seen out in the cold were several of the more stubborn villagers still attending to their household chores, a diehard travelling merchant or two braving the storm to sell their wares, and tougher folk like Susano and Oki, the Kamiki warrior claiming that the cold helped "toughen his nerves" while he trained and the Oina warrior clearly used to the cold from having lived in the frigid north of Kamui his entire life.

Alexander Grey was among the latter group, but instead of training or simply being used to the chill of winter, the young man was preoccupied with other things on his mind at the time, causing him to ignore the cold for the most part as he leaned back against the trunk beneath the snow-covered boughs of the Konohana Tree and watched the snow continue to gently drift down from the clouds above.

"…_I can't remember the last time I saw snow…" _he thought to himself, reminiscing a little about his life. _"It never snows in San Francisco, thanks to it being on sea level, so I think the last time I might have seen it was…"_

His thoughts trailed off as he reached the answer to his little question, and he let off a quiet sigh, his warm breath misting in the cold air.

"_Right…last time I saw snow was Christmas…at my old home…"_

"_Christmas? What's that?" _another voice asked innocently, and Alex looked up in brief surprise to see Ammy padding towards him, the white wolf near-invisible against the white blanket of snow on the ground save for her bright red markings and the inky black splotch on the tip of her brush-like tail.

"I thought I told you not to listen in on my thoughts?" he said to her, to which she grinned a bit sheepishly.

"_Sorry. Old habits die hard, as I'm sure you've heard."_

"Hmph. Whatever,"he replied quietly, looking down at the ground.

"_What's wrong?"_ she asked with genuine concern in her voice. _"Is this about this 'Christmas' you were thinking of?"_

"Mmm…" he muttered, crossing his arms and remaining stubbornly silent.

"_Come now, you can tell me," _she said gently, nudging his elbow with her nose. _"What is this Christmas, exactly?"_

She kept nudging him, until he finally got the hint that she wasn't going to let it go, and with an explosive sigh, he blurted out, "It's a wholesome Christian holiday, completely ruined by commercialism! How's that for an answer?"

She stopped nudging his arm and cocked her head quizzically at him.

"…Ok, fine," he amended. "It's a holiday back where I come from that celebrates the spirit of _giving _rather than _receiving_. People buy or make each other gifts out of the sheer kindness of their hearts, and it's just about as close as society gets to being bearable in my world."

"_Oh…"_ she said slowly, averting her gaze slightly. _"…You don't seem to have a rather high opinion about it, I imagine."_

Another cloudy sigh from Alex, and the young man answered, "Well, it's not just that…it's just…well…"

"_...It's making you homesick, isn't it?"_

Alex looked at her with a mildly confused scowl on his face, before he realized just who he was talking to and decided to let her little bit of godly sagaciousness slide.

"…Yeah," he finally said. "When Christmas would roll around, me and my mom and dad would all pitch in to make this really big turkey dinner with all the fixings, and we'd eat it around the fire all warm and toasty while it snowed outside…and after that, we'd open presents, and being the little kid that never really grew up, I'd be all giddy and everything over what I got from them…"

His look became mildly somber, and he looked up at the snow falling from the sky.

"Then I moved out, and…well…I didn't exactly have the time – or money, for that matter – to really celebrate Christmas. But, I still remember it, and…well…it's just a bit of nostalgia."

"_Nonsense,"_ Ammy pitched in. _"You should be glad that you still remember the home that you came from. Those experiences are some of the things that will help you through the most difficult times of your life."_

"Yeah…but I still miss that feeling of…well…_family_ that I got from Christmas," Alex muttered, rolling his shoulders to shake the gathering snow off. "Call it cliché, but it's true, as far as I'm concerned."

"_Well…would you like me to help you celebrate it then?"_

Ammy's offer wasn't _entirely _unexpected, but it still caught Alex a bit off-guard when she said it.

"You…you'd really do that?" he queried.

"_Of course!" _ she replied cheerily, wagging her tail and making swish marks in the snow behind her. _"You said that people give each other gifts during it, right? How about you and I exchange gifts? It would just be you and me, a little celebration of the togetherness that your 'Christmas' is all about!"_

Alex wasn't entirely sure, given that Ammy was still new to the holiday…but what was there to lose, really?

"Alright, what the hell. You want a gift? I'll get you a gift so amazing, it'll knock your socks off!" he declared, pointing his finger in the air for mock effect.

"…_I don't wear socks…"_ Ammy remarked slowly, making Alex deflate in complete and total exasperation.

"…Just meet me back here before sundown…" he muttered, to which she perked up and nodded eagerly, dashing off in the blink of an eye and disappearing around the bend in the trail that led between Konohana and Kamiki Village. Wondering what he had just gotten himself into now, Alex nonetheless set off after her, following the imprints of her paws in the snow back down into the village.

* * *

The mountain was absolutely _frigid,_ so could that he could feel his digits about to freeze off in the intense cold…but he wasn't about to give up now, not when he was so close to the peak!

"_I know what I'll do!"_ Issun the poncle suddenly thought in a burst of inspiration. _"I'll use some inferno power that I got from Ammy to melt all this snow! It's still reaching the top, even if I have to shorten the mountain a bit, right?"_

Pulling out his brush, the poncle concentrated, trying to remember the exact brushstroke as Ammy had done it to summon fire out of thin air…and releasing the tiny amount of power stored up within his even tinier body, the ink he swirled about in the air turned into a blazing stream of fire, hissing madly as it struck the snowy mountain he was climbing.

To his dismay, it seemed to have little effect…but that wouldn't stop him! Nothing would!

"_Bah! I'll do this the old fashioned way!"_ he thought, putting the brush away and setting off towards the top, his excited bouncing carrying him further and further as he neared the top, but slowing down as exhaustion overtook his body.

Eventually getting to the point where he was gasping for air and clawing for each handhold, Issun barely managed to latch his hand onto the flat surface that was the peak of the mountain…and with a final burst of strength, heaved himself up on top!

"Yahoo! I did it! Suck it, lesser beings! _I'm king of the world!"_

"Issun…what the hell are you doing?"

The poncle stopped bouncing, and looked behind him, to see Alex staring at him at eye level with a thoroughly perplexed look on his face, the young man standing next to an equally confused Kushi, who in turn was standing next to a very unimpressed looking Susano. The gruff Kamiki warrior was sitting at a wooden table, a scowl furrowing his brow as he just sat there and stared at the poncle…who had been climbing up his towering bowl of rice the entire time.

Looking down at what he was standing upon, Issun smacked his lips a few times as though in deep thought about what he had just done, eventually looking back up at Alex with an amused grin on his face and saying, "Y'know, Tinhead…this would make a great masterpiece one day, don't ya think?"

"A-HEM," Susano grunted impatiently, and moving quickly before the burly warrior lost his temper over his lunch getting interrupted, Alex snatched Issun off the top of the rice pile and carried him a ways off as he moved back into the near-deserted center of the village.

"Enough playing around Issun," Alex said, holding his hand up flat and letting the poncle stand on his palm. "Even though I can't believe the words are leaving my mouth…I need your help with something."

"Huh?" Issun said, staring at him, before a smug look suddenly came over him. "Oh-ho! I get it! The big bad, up-and-coming tinhead of Nippon needs MY help, huh?"

"Shut up before I flick you again, bug-boy!" Alex snapped, not in the mood to mess around with the poncle. "You gonna help me or not?!"

Issun's green aura flared a bit on the red side at the insult, but to his credit, managed to keep his temper in check for once. "Ok, ok, fine. Whaddya need help with?"

In the span of a minute or two, Alex explained his situation regarding Christmas and Ammy to Issun, the poncle listening and nodding the whole time.

"Huh…ok…so you're saying that you want a gift idea?" the poncle reiterated.

"Yeah. I mean, you've hung out with her longer than I have," Alex said. "You got anything in mind that'll really impress her? Something she'll really, _really_ like?"

"That's kinda stretching it, Tinhead…"

"Do I look like I care?!"

"Geez, take it easy!" Issun snapped, holding his hands out. "Take it from a pro, Ammy's a difficult woman – or wolf, or goddess, or whatever – to please! But lucky for you, I know her soft spot!"

"Yeah? What is it?"

"_Food!"_ Issun declared, with a similar pose to what Alex had struck earlier…which was met with a similar reaction to what Ammy had given Alex.

"…Food?"

"You heard me! _Food!_ The only thing Ammy likes more than her naps is a nice hot meal, and a big one too! You give her something to eat, and she'll be your best friend for life, I guarantee that!" Issun explained, a big knowing grin on his face the whole while.

"…I can't give her _FOOD!"_ Alex exclaimed incredulously.

"Why not?!" Issun snapped back, putting his hands on his hips as though preparing to defend the position he had taken in their little argument.

"Because she can get food _anywhere!"_ Alex declared, swinging his other arm way out and around at the village. "This isn't something I can just half-ass! I gotta get her something REALLY good, something she'll treasure, something that she'll remember for the rest of her life! Something like-!"

"_Something like MOI, perhaps?"_

Alex facepalmed with his other hand, as the all-too-familiar voice reached his ears.

"_Tch…figures," _he thought to himself. _"I ask for a miracle gift, and get a fruitbasket. Oh the IRONY."_

"What do YOU want, Fruitcake?" Issun belted out, as none other than Waka emerged out into the open and strode towards them, seemingly unaffected by the cold weather as his flashy outfit fluttered in the cold wind. "Me and Tinhead are discussing important business!"

"Ah, that may be so, but regardless, I could not help but overhear your little predicament!" Waka stated, coming right up to them. "So, the young man wants the perfect gift for _sa petite fleur, non?"_

"…I-I don't know what you just said, b-but it's not true!" Alex stated defensively, still knowing enough about the French language to get the gist of what Waka was saying. "And besides, who asked you?!"

"I simply wish to-"

"Bah! If your trying to give us help, forget it Fruitcake!" Issun stated firmly. "I still don't want you anywhere _near_ Ammy, or anything that's going to be given to her! You're gonna taint it, if anything!"

"Ah, fine, _votre choix!_ Your choice!" Waka answered simply, the same unfazed smirk on his face as he turned and began walking off with a dismissive wave of his hand. "I suppose I will just have to give this conveniently found _treasure map_ to someone else and-!"

"Whoa, whoa, hold up!" Alex blurted out suddenly, running after the Frenchman and causing Issun to fly out of his open palm face-first into the snow. "Treasure map? What _kind_ of treasure map?"

"Why, the best kind, of course!" Waka declared, turning about on his stilt-like sandal. "The kind where the treasure has yet to be discovered! A tempting offer, wouldn't you agree, Monsieur Grey?"

"Depends…what does it lead to?"

Waka looked both ways, as if to make sure no one else was listening in, and quietly spoke, _"The Crystal Star…"_

"Crystal WHAT, now?!" Issun belted out, popping his head out of the snow with his beetle shell helmet carrying a small pile of the white stuff upon it. "That sounds valuable! I LIKE valuable!"

"So…what is it?" Alex asked, ignoring the poncle entirely.

"The Crystal Star is said to be a diamond, formed into the shape of the brightest, most beautiful star one can imagine," Waka spoke in an uncharacteristically low voice. "Normally, such a thing would be valuable on its own…but its true value lies in the fact that its shape is completely formed _naturally."_

"A large diamond, naturally shaped to be a beautiful star…" Alex slowly repeated, nodding. "I'm liking what I'm hearing so far. And you say you've got a map to it?"

Waka responded by reaching into his loose pink shirt and pulling out a folded piece of paper that clearly looked very old at first glance.

"_Au fait, _I have known of the star's location all this time…I have merely kept it in reserve, in the event my Tao Trooper network ever needed a small…_bargaining chip_, I might say," Waka stated. "But, seeing as how I currently have no use for it at the moment, I see no harm in showing you that way to it! Such a beautiful possession would certainly make the perfect gift for _sa petite fleur, non?"_

Alex reached for the map, but it was snatched away at the last second by Waka, who continued to stare at him with that same infuriating smirk.

"It is a dangerous road ahead, _mon ami…_are you willing to take such a risk?" the Frenchman asked.

Alex hesitated for a split second longer, then grabbed the map from Waka.

"Won't know until I try, right?" he stated simply.

"_Tres bien, alors! _Very well, then!" Waka stated. "I imagine you will discover its true value by the end of your little quest!"

Alex looked up with a little confusion at the Frenchman's words…but he had already disappeared back into the snowfall from where he had come.

"_I've said it before, and I'll say it again…friggin' weirdo,"_ Alex thought, opening up the map and looking over its written contents as Issun hopped up to his shoulder and looked over it as well.

"Hmph! Some 'dangerous path'!" the poncle snorted. "The entrance to the cave this _Crystal Star_ is in is just over in Agata Forest! Nothing but a few imps there, if any demons at all! It'll be a piece of cake!"

"Then we better get started!" Alex stated. "I promised Ammy that we'd meet back before sundown, so let's get a move on!"

"Right! I'll grab my gear!" the poncle stated…thoroughly unaware of the fact that all of his gear, consisting of his brush, sword, and helmet, was already with him.

* * *

Several hours later saw a heavily bundled up Alex, with Issun riding upon his shoulder, tromping through the snow covered trees that made up Agata Forest. Most of the marshy, water-filled sections of the forest had frozen over with the recent drop in temperature, leaving glassy patches that were more often than not thick enough for the young man to walk right over without much fear of falling in…not that he did so purposefully, not wishing to test his luck as he continued to follow the path that the map Waka had given him laid out.

"Ok, according to this…" Alex muttered, coming to a stop as he looked over the map and double-checked his position, "…the cave should be just a short ways from here, through those trees."

"Off the beaten path…" Issun observed. "I like it! An adventure worthy of Issun, the Wandering Artist Extraordinaire!"

Alex rolled his eyes and simply set off in the right direction, even as Issun asked, "Hey, wait a second! Why don't you have Aku-whatever with you right now instead of that old sword you borrowed from Gizo?"

"Oh, this?" Alex queried, fingering the hilt of the much more normal steel sword he was carrying instead of the polished moonsteel of Aku-Hametsu. "I'm carrying this because Amunae's a lazy ass!"

"…Didn't feel like coming, huh?" Issun guessed.

"Nope!" Alex stated irritably. "Stupid fox spirit said I shouldn't be wasting time going on '_useless little trips_' like this, just to '_attain personal wealth_'! I couldn't get him to change his mind, so I left his ass behind!"

"HAH!" Issun chortled, patting the young man's shoulder in a congratulatory way. "That'll teach him!"

"_Yeah…and if things get really bad, I still have the Fox-Fire Beads at least…"_ Alex thought to himself, looking down at the rosary in armband form around his left wrist, reassuring himself that it was still there.

Continuing to follow the landmarks pointed out on the map, it wasn't long before the two of them eventually came across what was unmistakably the cave where Waka's _Crystal Star_ was hidden in, the entrance well hidden behind the various growths and brush of the forest. It was hidden well enough that Alex figured he would have walked right past it if it hadn't been for the map that his eyes were glued to at the moment.

"…Looks a bit ominous, huh?" Issun muttered, taking note of the faint howl of wind passing out of the entrance.

"Hey, no progress without risks," Alex stated, folding up the map and tucking it away in his kimono. "If Waka's feeling generous enough to just give me this so I can give it to Ammy, it can't be _that_ bad, right?"

"I dunno, Tinhead…whenever that Fruitcake's involved, I get a really bad feeling in my gut…"

"You sure it's not just indigestion? You've been eating a LOT of Mrs. Orange's cherry cakes lately," Alex quipped.

"Sh-shut up!" Issune stammered. "I LIKE her cherry cakes!"

Chuckling to himself, Alex pushed aside the brush and made his way in, the cave almost immediately widening out as he slowly walked down the passage. The further in he went, the darker it got, but fortunately Issun's bright green glow provided the light he needed to see properly.

"Keep an eye out for anything suspicious looking…or valuable, for the matter," Alex told the poncle on his shoulder. "We don't know if anything's waiting for us in here, so we might be leaving in a hurry once we get that diamond."

"I don't know about the first thing, but I've definitely got an eye for treasure!" Issun replied perhaps a bit too enthusiastically.

"Hey, just remember bug boy…!" Alex threatened. "This is a gift for _Ammy_, not something for you to sell off, so don't get any funny ideas!"

"Me? _Steal?_ The thought never crossed my mind!" Issun replied with an honest gesture of his hand over his heart…right before Alex turned his gaze back to the path, and the poncle promptly made an _up yours_ gesture with his arms.

A minute later, they came across what seemed to be their first obstacle: at a glance, a rickety wooden bridge over a gaping chasm of sorts, which was impressively large as Alex noted with a slightly nervous gulp.

"Uh…what were you saying about it not being that bad, Tinhead?" Issun said, looking down from Alex's shoulder.

Alex steeled his resolve and shrugged off Issun's question with a determined shake of his head, proceeding to stride out onto the bridge and drawing a startled gasp from Issun as the old wooden planks creaked and groaned under the young man's weight. Fortunately, the rope and boards still had some strength in them, despite their age, and before the poncle knew it, Alex had reached the other side with hardly any trouble at all.

Giving Issun a sly grin, as if to say, _"See? Nothing to it!"_, Alex proceeded deeper into the cave, the air growing increasingly chilly as their breath began misting. Issun huffed and puffed like a miniature steam engine, forcing Alex to stifle another chuckle when he noticed…shortly before he wished he had brought some heavier clothing himself and began shivering from the cold.

"Ok, so what's next?" Issun puffed out. "That map say anything about what's in here?"

Alex pulled the piece of parchment in question out and looked it over, eventually shaking his head. "It just shows the layout, nothing about traps or anything."

"…Then I think we're in for a _really_ bad time," Issun said, directing Alex's gaze straight ahead.

"…You're kidding me, right?" the young man muttered.

What lay ahead could only be described as a path of large stone tiles, having obviously carved into the cave floor recently, not to mention the fact that the entire length of the passage's walls were lined with a multitude of seemingly random and small holes, with a very obvious lever against the far wall on the other side.

Very clearly, a dart trap.

"_Oh my god, that's so cliché it hurts…"_ Alex thought with an un-amused shake of his head.

"Well, we going or not?" Issun asked, sounding a tad reluctant himself.

Alex swallowed hard, and gingerly stepped out onto the path…

…and leapt back with a startled yelp as the stone suddenly yielded under his weight and a loud _"fsht!"_ split the air, the dart barely grazing his calf as it flew by and putting a very noticeable hole in the leg of his kimono.

"Oh no, oh-ho-ho NO!" he said, waving his arms in front of him. "No way!"

"Aw c'mon Tinhead! I thought you really wanted this thing for Ammy!" Issun snapped at him.

"Not if it means getting ventilated! Ah, come on, we'll hit up one of the merchants and see if he's got something good…"

"Bah!" Issun cursed, jumping off of Alex's shoulder and hopping off across the stone tiles before the young man could protest…without setting off a single one.

"…_Oh, right…because he weighs as much as a thimble…" _Alex realized, feeling stupid that he hadn't picked up on that fact. Issun proceeded to hop right up to and _onto_ the lever, bouncing up and down on top of it like he was stomping it as hard as he could, and eventually managing to beat it down into the off position.

A loud _clunk _and _thud_ reverberated through the cave, and Alex tested the tiles once again, before confirming that the trap was indeed disabled. Meeting back up with Issun on the other side, the two continued down the twisting passage as Alex pulled out the map again and checked where they were.

"_Alright, so we take a left here, walk down this way a bit, take a right, and we should be in…"_

Looking up, Alex realized now that the passage they were in had opened up even more so now, becoming large enough that his footsteps and breathing were actually beginning to echo a bit from the acoustics of the place.

"Wow, this place is bigger than I thought!" Issun stated. "Who knew such a tiny cave entrance would lead to such a big place?"

"Yeah, I know…I'm getting some déjà vu here, from back when me and Ammy were below the Gale Shrine…and…huh…" Alex said, before noticing something and trailing off.

"What's the deal, Tinhead?"

"That's weird…why is the floor behind us sloped like that?"

Issun turned around to see what Alex was looking at, and sure enough, the floor behind them was sloped rather sharply, while ahead of them, it was somewhat flatter.

"…Design flaw? Natural formation?" the poncle suggested.

As if on cue, there was a massive _THUD_ that made the ground shake beneath them, and Alex looked down at it in confusion, before hearing the sound of stone grinding on stone and looking up at the sloping floor behind them.

"Uh-oh…"

As expected, a massive stone boulder straight out of an Indiana Jones movie came barreling towards them, picking up speed as it flew down the sloped floor.

"Sweet _Jesus!"_ Alex yelled, immediately breaking into a run in the opposite direction as Issun let off a girly scream in horror and held on tight. The boulder bounced as it hit the flatter part of the ground and let off a series of heavy bangs as it bounced around off the walls and floor, gaining on the two with every passing second as Alex sprinted as fast as he could.

"Tinhead, _look!"_ Issun shouted, and looking ahead, Alex could see yet another large and seemingly bottomless chasm ahead, with the opening to another passage directly across the way from theirs…and a single long rope having apparently been stretched and suspended directly in between them.

"_Oh man, oh man, this is gonna be CLOSE!"_

Leaping with all his might, Alex flung himself out into empty space, his rosary flashing to life as the blue-glowing, fireball shaped beads lashed out in front of him…

…and hooked around the suspended rope, his forward momentum carrying him across the chasm and flinging him off into the entrance across the way, his rosary letting go of the rope and immediately snapping back into place around his wrist.

The boulder, in the meantime, rolled into the chasm behind them, falling into the darkness below…and eventually, Alex and Issun both heard a muffled _boom_ as the rock hit bottom.

Staring into the chasm for a moment, then turning to look at each other, Alex and Issun both let out a nervous sounding chuckle that sounding amazingly out of place, considering they had both just barely escaped with their lives.

Of course, any mirth Issun had was quickly lost, when the poncle suddenly growled, "I swear, the next time we see that Half-Baked Prophet, _I'm gonna kill him!"_

Taking a moment to catch his breath, Alex simply thought to himself, _"Man, Ammy, you better appreciate what I'm going through to get this for you…"_

Once he was rested up, the young man took a deep breath and, wondering what horrors possibly lay ahead, reluctantly proceeded deeper into the cave, taking another look at the map as he tried to pinpoint their current location.

"_Wait a minute…looks like we're just about there!" _he realized. _"If we round the next few corners, we should end up in…!"_

Looking up, they had entered a rather small, but still spacious stone cavern, rather bare and unassuming in appearance save for one thing: a small stone pedestal, with a single object upon it.

"Holy crap…" Issun whispered, his eyes glowing from pure light that was emanating from nothing other than the Crystal Star.

It was even more beautiful than Waka had described to them. The crystalline diamond, perfectly formed into the shape of a five-point star, glinted with an almost unearthly light in the dim cavern, completely blocking out Issun's green light and filling the small cavern with a soft white glow that almost seemed to bring a warming sensation to the area around it.

This was it, Alex realized: the perfect gift. Something Ammy would remember and treasure for the rest of her life…provided he managed to get back to her with it.

"…What are you waiting for, Tinhead?" Issun spoke slowly and quietly. "Go ahead and take it already…"

Nodding, Alex paced a few steps forward…and suddenly stopped.

"Wait…this is too easy…" he muttered. "We've already dealt with two traps on the way here, what's to say this isn't booby trapped also?"

"Well, I don't see any hidden switches or anything…so…leap before you think?" Issun suggested, shrugging.

"…Screw it. I don't care if this whole damn cave comes down on top of our heads from me picking this up, I'm not stopping now!"

And with that declaration, Alex proceeded to stomp up to the crystal and swipe it off of the pedestal.

…Nothing happened.

"…We're still alive, right…?" Issun whispered, his eyes having unintentionally squeezed shut in fear of what could have happened.

"…I think so…" Alex replied. "Heh…looks like we got off scot-free!"

_FZZZT!_

As it turned out, the young man had spoken too soon, for at that very moment, two simultaneous flashes of shadowy energy flared up on both sides of the pedestal…

And Alex suddenly found himself surrounded by imps. LOTS of imps. Of all color varieties.

"Whew! It was getting hot inside that tiny little dimension!" one of them spoke first, wiping his forehead.

It wasn't until the imp made that particular statement that Alex noticed nearly all of the imps weren't wearing their shirts, and the ones that were all looked very hot and sweaty, their clothes stained around the armpits and collars with the salty liquid.

"Uhh…" was all the young man could say, Issun at a complete loss for words as he simply stood there and stared.

"Oh, crap!" one of the demons suddenly cursed, noticing the two standing there in their midst. "My lines! What were my lines?!"

"What do you mean _your_ lines?!" another belted out.

"Yes, _my_ lines, you doofus! We rehearsed this for when someone finally got the crystal, remember?!"

"I don't remember that…" another spoke up from the side.

"Shut it, you weren't even included in the script!" the apparently lead demon spoke. "Screw it, I'll just wing it!"

"Whatever you say…" another one spoke, crossing his arms and looking thoroughly un-amused with the whole thing.

"_I wanna go home…"_ another imp whined from the far back of the group.

"_Ahem…_Finally, after months of waiting, someone finally stumbled into our little trap!" the lead imp belted out, striking a fighting pose, as did all the other imps around it (except for the few still struggling to get their shirts back on). "Thought you could get away with that diamond, could you? Think again!"

"…Wait a second…you guys were waiting here for _months?"_ Alex asked incredulously.

"Well, uh…_yeah!_ And we'd wait even longer too, but we knew it wouldn't be long until someone came after that crystal, right guys?!" the imp stated, turning to his comrades for support and only getting a few shrugs and awkward looks in return.

"_I wanna go home…"_ the same imp in the back whined again, and subsequently received a smack across the back of the head.

"Whatever! The point is, we've got you now! You're not going anywhere, buddy!" the lead imp spat out, taking a step forward as Alex finally seemed to catch on to the danger and took a step back.

"_Oh geez…this isn't good…"_ he thought. He could take them all on if he had Aku-Hametsu with him, but the fact that he had left the ancient sword behind meant that all he had was the Fox-Fire Beads and the regular steel sword that Gizo had lent him for the trip. Without Amunae's help, Alex was pretty dang sure that he was _screwed._

Of course, that wasn't considering the fact that the cave started rumbling violently at that very second.

"Huh-what? What's going on?" the lead imp spoke stupidly, looking up as large cracks began to spread through the ceiling.

"Oh, _perfect!_ THERE'S the freaking cave-in, only a full minute late!" Alex bellowed in a mixture of frustration and sheer desperation, and before anyone else could react, the young man drew his sword and stabbed the nearest imp through the gut, using the collapsing cave as a distraction and the demon's body as a battering ram of sorts, as he pushed his way through the crowd, holding onto the sword all the while and keeping the imp impaled on it until he had made his way through.

Getting through the pack of imps, their angry cries reaching his ears, Alex ditched the sword and impaled imp by the side of the passage, taking the Crystal Star in both hands and tearing off back the way he had come, the imps giving chase as he whipped out the Fox-Fire Beads and used them to swing across the chasm again.

"Go, Tinhead, _go, go, go!"_ Issun yelled. "We gotta get out of here before this caves turns us into pancakes!"

"_You think I don't know that?!"_ Alex yelled in return, dodging a falling rock and nearly losing his balance as the entire cave shook violently. Running back through the rolling boulder passage, Alex ducked into the exit cave and snuck a quick look back, seeing the imps expertly jumping and swinging over the passage like a pack of monkeys.

"Crap, they're still following us! Those guys don't give up easy, do they?!" Issun yelled.

Alex said nothing, choosing instead to put his head down and run even faster, double checking to make sure the diamond was still in his hands. The brilliant crystal lent the otherwise tense situation a rather calming and mysterious tone, and it reassured Alex that if he made it out here alive, it'd be worth it to see the look on Ammy's face when he presented it to her.

Passing through the passage with the stone tiled and dart trap, Issun suddenly yelled, "Wait a sec, Tinhead! Stop!"

"Huh?! What is it this time?!" Alex yelled, to which Issun responded by hopping off and back towards the lever that disabled the dart trap, this time bending down and hopping up as strongly as he could, the little poncle somehow hitting the lever with enough force to push back up into the on position.

"That oughtta buy us some time!" Issun said, hopping back across without setting the trap off and returning to his position atop Alex's shoulder. "At least they won't be following us all the way back to Kamiki!"

"Alright, great thinking bug boy!" Alex agreed, nodding as he resumed his breakneck pace back towards the exit. One last obstacle, the rickety wooden bridge, was all that stood between them and freedom, and without missing a beat, Alex leapt onto it and began making his way across.

Unfortunately, that was where their luck ran out.

"Tinhead! WATCH OUT!"

Alex looked up just in time to see a massive boulder, perhaps having broken off from the chasm wall above, falling right towards them. In an instant, Alex let off a wild yell and dove forward headlong, holding tightly onto the Crystal Star and gabbing onto one of the planks with his free hand, right as the large stone smashed into the spot where he had been standing just a moment before.

The frail bridge snapped in half like a twig, and Alex felt his stomach fly up into his throat as the half he was holding onto swung down and slammed into the side of the chasm wall with enough force to dislodge his already weak grip…and to knock the Crystal Star from his grasp.

Falling towards the chasm below, Alex made one last desperate move, flinging his rosary up towards the wooden post that the bridge's rope was tied around, and the weapon wrapped around it like a constrictor snake, bringing his fall to a sudden halt but causing the post to suddenly break at the middle and hold on by a few inches of splintering wood.

Behind him, he heard a crystalline _ping_ as something hit the rocks behind him…and turning his head as far as it would go, Alex could see that, amazingly, the diamond he had gone to this trouble to get had somehow fallen onto a tiny rock ledge jutting out from the side of the chasm wall behind him.

"…Holy crap!" Issun finally yelled, and wasting no time in saving his own skin, the poncle leapt off of Alex's shoulder and quickly made his way up the straining length of the rosary that was all that was holding the young man up. Reaching safety at the top, Issun promptly turned and grabbed hold of the beaded weapon, pulling with all the strength his tiny body could muster as he fought to try and pull Alex up.

"Gah! You're too heavy, Tinhead! Why the heck don't you lose some weight while you're down there?!" the poncle grunted in between tugs.

It was no use…the rosary was slipping free of the wooden post, and nothing Issun could do would stop it from coming loose.

Except the sudden appearance of a certain white wolf.

"_Alex!"_ he heard a voice in his mind cry out over the loud rumble of the collapsing cave, and the rosary suddenly jerked as Amaterasu suddenly grabbed the rosary in her jaws and began pulling. _"I've got you!"_

"What the hell…_Ammy?!"_ Alex yelled up, surprised by the wolf goddess' sudden appearance.

"_No time to explain! Start climbing while my grip holds out!" _she yelled down at him.

Alex would have done just that, had he not been stopped by a sudden thought that had entered his mind, as his gaze slowly turned back to the Crystal Star sitting innocuously on the tiny ledge just behind him.

Planting his feet against the wall and making sure his grip was secure, Alex reached back through the curtain of dust and debris falling into the chasm, stretching his free hand out towards the diamond that was _just barely_ beyond his reach.

"_What are you DOING?!" _ Ammy yelled from above.

"I can get it…just another…few…_inches!"_ he grunted out, straining until his elbow joint popped as he tried to coax another inch of reach from his arm.

It was right there…his fingers were just barely brushing one of the points of the valuable diamond! He just needed another inch!

"_ALEX!" _she yelled in desperation. _"It's not worth your life, you IDIOT! I-I can't hold on much longer!"_

"Just…another…inch!"

"_Alexander…please…"_

The sudden soft tone of her voice made him pause, his hand still outstretched towards the diamond that glittered faintly in the darkness of the cave despite the dust covering it.

"_Please…don't do it, Alex…it's not worth it…"_

"_But…I can still get it…"_

"_You don't need it…you're better than this…"_

Alex remained in that position for a few more seconds, staring at the glittering object for what seemed like forever as the cavern continued to collapse around them…

…and his hand finally closed. He retracted his arm, and with one last look at the diamond that he had risked life and limb for in order to make it Ammy's Christmas gift, he took the rosary in both hands and began climbing up it.

Getting a grip on the ledge, Alex pulled himself up while Ammy bit into his kimono and helped him up, Issun having already taken up his usual spot on her head.

"_Hey!_ What about us?!" another voice shouted, and looking across the chasm, all of them could see the crowd of demons waiting on the other side, some of them looking like oversized pincushions with the darts sticking out of various parts of their bodies.

"_I wanna go home…" _the same demon in the back whined again, somehow heard over the rumble of the collapsing cave.

Ammy looked to Alex, who mumbled, "Well…tis the season."

Waving her tail once, Ammy filled in the gap where the bridge once was and restored it with her ink powers, before nudging Alex with her head and indicating that it was time to go.

"Thank you!" one of the imps shouted, as they ran for daylight.

* * *

"_Honestly, what in the world were you THINKING?!"_

Now that the group had reached safety, and was currently on their way back to Kamiki Village, Ammy had taken the moment to lay into Alex with all of her godly fury in the form of a verbal berating similar to how a parent would scold an unruly child.

"_I thought you were better than that! To actually go and risk your life for material items of value?! What on Nippon would possess you to do some so STUPID and RECKLESS?!"_

Alex flinched under her scolding, but couldn't deny that her anger was definitely well-deserved. It had been a reckless plan from the start, and even though he almost got away with it, that didn't erase that fact that he had acted very stupidly on the whole thing just to get her something nice for a present.

"It was…going to be your present…" he muttered offhandedly.

She stopped suddenly, and stared at him, her head tilted in a perplexed manner.

"…You saw it, didn't you? That star-shaped diamond that I was reaching for?" he continued.

Ammy stared at him for a few more seconds, and then sighed explosively, her anger appearing to have been tempered for the moment.

"_You were…getting that for _me?" she asked.

Alex nodded slowly, as they went beyond the trees of Agata Forest and into the wide open, snow dusted hills of Shinshu Fields.

"I…I just wanted to get something _perfect…_something you'd remember, since you were awesome enough to help me celebrate Christmas and all…" he explained, kicking up a small snowdrift. It had begun snowing again, as the small white flakes slowly drifted down from the sky, filling in the prints they left behind as they walked. "And…well…you've done so much for me, I just…wanted to return the favor, you know?"

Ammy was quiet for a moment as she mulled over his words, before eventually saying, _"You men, always having to overdo something in some way or another…I would have been perfectly fine with a much more simple gift, you know."_

"…Really?" Alex asked, seeming to perk up a small bit at those words.

"_Well, yes. I am the Sun Goddess, after all. I have no need for valuable items, even if they _are_ beautiful simply to look at."_

"Huh…you know, that gives me an idea!" Alex suddenly said. "Hey, meet me by Konohana in about an hour! I got another gift idea I think you'll like!"

"…_This isn't going to involve me having to save your life again, is it?"_

"No, no! Trust me, it'll be simple!" Alex said, running off back towards Kamiki Village without even waiting for an answer.

"_Now what do you think he's up to this time?" _Amaterasu asked Issun.

"Beats me. Who knows what goes on in that tin head of his?" the poncle muttered, shrugging and causing the built-up snow pile on his helmet to slide off.

* * *

One hour later, as Alex had told her, Ammy was waiting under the snow-covered branches of Konohana for the young man to return with the gift he said he would have, the wolf goddess having already brought her own.

Sure enough, she heard his feet crunching through the snow a short while before she saw him jogging up the hill towards the ancient tree, a parchment-wrapped parcel in his hands.

"Alright, I got it! You ready to exchange gifts now?" he said, sounding a bit out of breath but otherwise seeming rather enthusiastic about the whole thing.

"_Of course. Shall I go first, or you?" _she spoke, wagging her tail.

"Well…I'm still a bit out of breath, so you first," he said, sitting down on one of the large exposed roots of the tree.

Nodding, she reached behind her and reached into her (suddenly appeared) astral pouch, pulling out something gently with her jaws and depositing it in his lap.

Alex looked down at it with a mildly confused look on his face, taking it in his hand and holding it up in front of him as he turned it around and examined it.

"…A flower?" he asked, and indeed, it _was_ a flower…a perfectly formed rose of sorts, its deep red color standing out against the stark white of the snow around them, and seemingly untouched by the cold as its perfectly shaped and arranged petals seemed to allude to.

"_Not an ordinary flower, no…" _she explained, coming up next to him. _"This flower, I made myself, and imbued it with a tiny portion of my own godly essence."_

"Really? What does that mean?" he asked.

"_It means that, as long as I myself draw breath…it will never wilt, nor can it be crushed or otherwise destroyed."_

Alex stopped at that, finally realizing the true value of such a seemingly simple gift. A flower that would never wilt was as true a testament to the strength of their friendship as she could make…something that would never die, like the bond they shared.

"Wow, Ammy, that's…I don't even know what to say…" he whispered, suddenly appearing very somber.

"_What's wrong? Do you not like it?"_ she asked him.

"No, no, it's perfect! I really, _really_ like it Ammy, trust me!" he spoke both quickly and genuinely. "It's just…well…"

He looked sideways at his parcel, and muttered, "…My gift might not be so awesome, compared to this…"

"_Well, let's have a look at it anyways," _Ammy said, to which Alex shrugged slightly and slid it over to her, helping her get started on unwrapping and watching as she peeled away the layers and saw what was inside.

"They're cherry cakes," he explained. "…I…uh…I heard they were your favorite, so…I had Mrs. Orange whip up a few for you…"

She stared at them for a short while, neither speaking nor taking her eyes off them.

"…I know it's really simple, considering they were last-minute and all that…" he slowly spoke, looking down at the beautiful rose she had given him. "…and if it's _too_ simple for you, I can always try to get something else and-"

He was cut off by the sound of chewing, and looking over, he saw one of cherry cakes disappearing down her gullet, the white wolf licking her muzzle off in a satisfied sort of manner.

"_They're _wonderful_, Alex…thank you,"_ she finally spoke, a warm smile on her face.

"Oh…well, uh…you're welcome…"

They sat there for a moment, watching as the sun slowly dipped below the horizon, and the snow continued to gently fall, casting a serene aura over the entire setting as lanterns lit up in the windows of all the houses in Kamiki Village.

Despite all of the dangers that he had faced today, and despite the fact that he had lost his original gift…Alex felt that it had been worth it.

_Tres bien, alors! Very well, then! I imagine you will discover its true value by the end of your little quest!_

Waka's words rang in his mind, and Alex couldn't help but chuckle as he finally realized what the prophet had meant by his words.

"_What's so funny, Alex?"_ Ammy asked, looking at him from where she was sitting next to him.

He took one look at the rose she had given him, and shook his head, putting his arm around her neck in a friendly sort of way.

"…Nothing, Ammy. Merry Christmas, by the way."

"_Merry Christmas, Alex."_

* * *

**(Rate, review, check out my profile if you want, and I'll see you next time.)**


End file.
